IS FERGIE PAST HIS BEST?
A couple of days ago on a MUTV show, a viewer phoned in to demand that Sir Alex Ferguson be sacked. Ex-United player Lou Macari’s response to this suggestion was: “I don’t know where he was coming from or how long he had been waiting to make the call but if he truly believes getting rid of the best manager Manchester United have had would help improve the situation, he is living in a different world to me.”
Sacking managers after a string of poor results achieves very little. Mark Hughes being shown the door by Man City was poor on their part. However there are situations where managers perhaps can’t take the side further and therefore need to be replaced. I’m sure that over the years United fans have questioned Fergie and whether he should still be at the helm of one of the most successful clubs in the world. If I can just say from the outset, sacking Fegie is a dumb idea. But the thinking behind it may not be so dumb…
Macari made a good point when he said: “The problem, and this is football’s problem, not just Manchester United, is that the players are just not there anymore. In the past, United had guys like Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes, who would literally go to war in order to win a football match. I don’t see many of those characters around now. People talk about Wayne Rooney, and quite rightly so, but he sticks out like a sore thumb. The other guys did not stick out like a sore thumb. They regarded it as part of their job.”
Many people questioned the buying (or lack there of) that happened at United at the start of the season. The fact is that United lack quality at the moment. Giggs can still play but he isn’t who he used to be. Scholes is having less and less impact on the pitch with each passing game and Neville looked like a 2nd division defender when Leeds knocked United out of the FA Cup. (Why Sir Alex sticks with him, we are not sure.) The point is that Fergie, despite all his brilliance and pomp, may just be losing the plot.
South Africa won the Rugby World Cup in 2007. That was thanks to one man really; Jake White. He picked an excellent leader in Captain John Smit and built around him a formidable squad. There was no better rugby team at the time. Since then White has been replaced by the very capable Peter de Villiers. The Springboks (as they are called) have however been a shadow of their former selves since then. The question that is raised is whether or not de Villiers is just keeping afloat on the momentum built by White and the squad he developed leading up to 2007. De Villiers is no chump let it be said, but there is the feeling that the squad is getting older, the style of play has been worked out and although the squad remains pretty much unchanged, the players aren’t good enough anymore. Well, it’s not that they are suddenly bad. Rather they haven’t moved. They were the future, now they are heading towards being the past. And that doesn’t have all that much to do with age.
Back to football… United are champions – three times in a row. Rooney, Berbatov, Vidic, Ferdinad, Evra, Carrick… they aren’t suddenly bad. United’s squad aren’t weak on paper. They are weak on the pitch.
Is Fergie surviving on flashes of brilliance, past heroics and previously instilled fear in oppositions? United have lost momentum. That can be regained. The question that pretty much any other club would be asking is: “Is this man the right guy for the job of restoring momentum and confidence?”
Dare I say it… I’m not 100% sure Sir Alex is.
He is the most successful manager United have ever seen. He has built the club up to be one of the most feared and decorated clubs ever. Maybe however it is time for him to hand it over to someone with as much ‘ballsiness’ as he had when he took over.
I’m not calling for his head. I am however curious to see what ‘the future’ could do as some head towards ‘the past’.
Could it be one of these men? Laurent Blanc (Fergies always liked him), Steve Bruce (unjustly fired from across the city) , Roy Keane (the original United tough-talker) , Jose Mourinho (The Special One, with the attitude to cope).
WHY MANCHESTER UNITED WILL WIN THE LEAGUE, WHY THEY WON’T
This season has produced a fair number of surprises. Although the season is far from over and there are a handful of teams with a shout at the title, it will most likely be won by either Manchester United or Chelsea. (Arsenal have a very, very good chance of cracking it however!)
There are three reasons why I believe Manchester United will win it again this season and there are three reasons why I think they won’t.
Why Manchester United WILL win the title:
Their squad
Their manager
The African Cup of Nations
Why Manchester United WON’T win the title:
Their squad
Their manager
Everyone else
(I know the top two are contradictory… hear me out.)
United WILL be champions.
After United’s loss to Fulham, many would have placed money on Chelsea to win the league. What must not be forgotten is that United’s squad is made up of winners (even new boys Obertan and Valencia have won something). The point is that this squad knows how to win. They have won the league for the last three years in a row after all. They were English, European and Club World Cup winners just two years ago. United have seldom won from the front and have often come from behind to lift the trophy. They can do it again – even without Ronaldo. To write off United would be a silly thing to do. This squad can handle the pressure.
Sir Alex is one of, if not the best manager alive, or even ever. That old head is wise and there are still plenty of sneaky tricks up his sleeve. Many doubted United’s title credentials this term when no big signings were made. Even though he hasn’t been replaced, Ronaldo hasn’t been greatly missed – despite United having lost a few matches. Fergie knows how to motivate and get the best out of players. He has done it before. He can do it again…
The African Cup of Nations will deplete the opposition’s resources. Chelsea will lose Drogba and Essien among others. Those two are invaluable to The Blues. Arsenal will see a couple of players fly off as will Spurs and Manchester City. United do not have this problem. Fergie will have a full squad to pick from in January – bar injuries.
United WON’T be champions.
For all that I have said about the winning mentality of the United squad, how they know how to withstand pressure etc, they lack quality. Yes, Ronaldo hasn’t been missed in terms of his greediness on the ball, on how the team seemed to play for him or how no one else could take a free kick. What they have missed however is his creativity. Valencia is a decent replacement. He isn’t in the same mold as Ronnie but he has some quality. What United lack at the moment however is a showboat. Spurs have Lennon, Man City have Robinho, the list goes on. Gabriel Obertan has impressed with his trickery and ‘man-beating’ ability but he is still young to the Premier League. All that aside, United’s biggest problem is in defense. A Vidic/Evans centre pairing is very good. Vidic/Ferdinand is better. Brown is decent. O’Shea is solid but not dynamic. Neville has passed it in my opinion and the Da Silva brothers are brilliant but a little small. Evra is pure class! The problem is fitness. A Carrick/Fletcher back two isn’t going to win you a Premier League title I’m afraid. If United can overcome their injury woes they have a shot.
Sir Alex as a football manager should never have a bad word said about him. His character is another story – but not the one I’m writing. Having said that however, there have been games where Fergie has picked a side I thought was crazy. By the end of the game though, we were all shouting “genius!’. Think back to Giggs’ first midfield bow against Chelsea. More and more he seems to pick a side that raises eyebrows and by the end of the game we are all left scratching our heads wondering why he didn’t see what we did. His side against Fulham is a perfect example of that. Is he losing the plot? I don’t think so. But I do think that he may be starting to complicate a very uncomplicated sport. Winning a soccer match isn’t the hardest thing to do. Especially with the side he has! But sometimes (and more and more frequently it seems) he makes it very hard!
United’s biggest worry when it comes to winning this years’ title is the fact that everyone else has gotten stronger. Now United can lose points to Spurs, City, Villa, Fulham, Everton or even Burnley. In years gone by there were games considered an easy 3 points. With the sides competing in this seasons Premier League however there is no such thing. United have won the league with ‘worse’ sides than they have now. The problem is that everyone else was weaker as well. The level of the opponents has risen steeply. And it could be a hill too steep for United to climb this season.
Chelsea are title favourites but they are not without their own problems. But that’s for the next article. The conclusion for this one is that United have a lot to do if they want to pass arch rivals Liverpool in league titles. The January transfer window will be an interesting one to watch from a United point of view. Who will Fergie buy – if anyone? It will need to be well thought out because whoever he brings in could be the difference between 1st, 2nd or 5th. If I was a Chelsea supporter I would be both confident and weary.
FERGIE’S FEINT: OBERTAN
The year was 2005. One man ruled the football pitch. What his brain thought, his feet did. And whatever his feet wanted to do, the ball did. There was no-one more skillful, no-one more dangerous. Crowds flocked to see him. Fans adored him. Authorities honored him.
He possessed pace, strength and amazing skills. His tricks were like circus performances – almost unbelievable! Ronaldinho has fallen off his perch quite drastically. At one stage Barcelona’s crown jewel, now fighting to reignite his career at AC Milan, Ronnie is a shadow of his past self. But the Ballon d’Or winner left us with one of the most memorable images in football. We call it ‘the feint’. At his best, defenders were left dazed and bewildered by his trickery. This one always got the best of them. A look to the right… then a quick dink of the ball to the left. He had us all looking one way and only once we had committed… would send the game the other.
Ronaldinho could be past his best but there is someone else who may just have employed this trick… and we could all have fallen for it again!
Sir Alex isn’t playing football anymore (and even if he was, I doubt he would have been able to pull such a trick off). He does however play another game better than pretty much everyone else.
Everyone wrote off Manchester United’s chances without Cristiano Ronaldo. Even more was said about who would replace the ‘irreplaceable’ Portuguese star.
Enter Sir Alex with a little feint…
There was not a lot of activity in the United boardroom. Players were being tipped to join from all corners of the globe. Ribery was coming, Silva was on his way, Robben was in a swap deal…
In the end, three men arrived at Old Trafford. Two of them were met with a little surprise. Michael Owen still has goal scoring ability and was a clever piece of business. Antonio Valencia has been a long term target for Fergie and his arrival was no surprise. Gabriel Obertan was a real surprise to everyone!
Many presumed that Valencia was there to ‘replace’ Ronaldo. In theory that is what he has done. The ex Wigan man has slotted in on the right and has produced some pretty impressive performances. He isn’t as flashy as CR7 but he does get the job done.
I think we are all looking right but Sir Alex is about to pull trick on us and produce from the left… Gabriel Obertan!
The young Bordeaux player had attended the famed Clairefontaine football academy where players such as Henry, Anelka and Saha had refined their skills. His arrival at Bordeaux was met with great excitement! Limited however to sub appearances, he was eventually loaned out to Lorient. Obertan seemed to have been a player with great promise that didn’t ever reach his full potential. A U21 friendly against England helped him catch the eye of the Old Trafford boss and Obertan was soon a Red.
Ferguson has said that Valencia wasn’t brought in to replace Ronaldo. I think he is telling the truth. While we all stare down at Antonio and crit his every move, Gabbi gets stronger and stronger while recovering from a back injury. Having made a reserves appearance and now his senior debut in the Carling Cup, it doesn’t seem that it will be long until we see him in the Premier League.
Watch some youtube clips and you will see that this boy has blistering pace, silky skills, amazing tricks, great strength and goal scoring ability. Sound a bit like a certain Ronaldo?
Owen was handed the number 7 shirt by Sir Alex but I think that the long term successor of the iconic number will be the young Frenchman.
We could all have been looking right – Owen, Valencia.
But Fergie may just be getting ready to play his best card while we aren’t looking – Gabrial Obertan.
We all looked right. He appeared from the left.
LIVERPOOL MAY HAVE NOTHING TO BLAME
Liverpool will host champions Manchester United this weekend and what a game it promises to be.
I have been a soccer fan for a long time now but one of the games that really sparked my passion for football was on the 25th of May 2005.
Liverpool squared up to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League final. Milan fired 3 past the Reds. Before anyone had sat down Milan where 1-0 up. The rest is history. Liverpool won in true English football fashion. One of the heroes of the night was Vladimír Šmicer. Who you ask? Well that is just my point – but I’ll get back to that shortly. Liverpool helped turn football from an interest into a passion for me. For that I will always be grateful! I have always, when asked, said that I am an England fan first. You can’t watch every game that is played so you have to choose one team to follow. Manchester United became that team for me. Hotspur under Ramos had a “buy English” policy that caused me to have a secret love affair with them. Liverpool still have the best English midfielder in Gerrard. I can watch any one of them and enjoy it.
I say all of this to let everyone know that although I love Man Utd I’m not biased in my opinion of other teams. Sure I enjoy a little banter. United have won the last three years after all… All that is to follow is not written in a United-fan-mocking way. Rather it is written as a football fan who has picked up some interesting facts.
Now back to Vladimír Šmicer. I have no idea who that is. I watched that game in 05. He scored Liverpools 2nd goal and their final penalty. Now however he is gone. Liverpool have had a massive amount of people come through their doors in recent times.
To jump straight to the point:
Liverpool lost against Sunderland because of their lack of squad depth. Liverpool without Gerrard and Torres are just another mid-table team. It’s true. Rafa has had a lot to say about the fact that United have more money available to them than he does but let’s look at some figures.
Since Rafa arrived in 2004 Liverpool have brought in 48 players. United have brought in 30. Liverpool had 18 players more – that’s a full team and bench!
Now, Liverpool signed Torres for a record £26.5 million. United signed Berbatov for the large sum of £30.7 million. Not all that much more really. The thing is however, United spent more on a single player but lets look at this:
Keane: £19, Bellamy: £6, Gonzalez: £4, Pennant: £6. Add that all up and you get a whopping £35 million! See where I’m going?
United may have spent large amounts of money on a single player but they buy the players that will do something for the squad. Out of the 48 Rafa has brought in, how many would be in the first 11 or even on the bench for other teams? You don’t see people ramming down the door to sign Ngog or Voronin.
Where I think Sir Alex has got it right (and therefore Rafa, wrong) is that he brought in the players his side needed to be strengthened. He needed a midfielder, so he bought Carrick. It cost him £18 million but since his arrival United have won three league titles and the UEFA Champions league and…
Rafa buys 10 young unknown players. Some of them work out. Some of them don’t. Sir Alex buys one or two expensive established players, and 4 unknown talents.
The thing is if you made a combined Liverpool/Man Utd 11 how many players from Liverpool would be in the side? Torres – definitely. Gerrard, I think because he is so good you dare not leave him out, not because United lack Midfield options. Carragher – maybe? That’s probably about all.
Liverpool are in desperate need of a good game this weekend. United need to close games out better. It will be very interesting to see how the match plays out. United are not in the best of form – Liverpool’s is even worse. Matches like this however always cause teams to play above themselves. I’m pretty sure that however close the game is to call, Liverpool without Torres and Gerrard have no chance at all! United could miss Rooney and that would be a blow but they have £60 million worth of PROVEN talent to fall back on. Rafa, for all the money he has spent, probably only has about £20 million. And it’s all his own fault.
The table above represents the clubs net spending per season since the arrival of Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.
Image from The Transfer League:
HARGREAVES – SAME OLD PLAYER, BRAND NEW KNEES
Manchester United had midfielder Owen Hargreaves back at training today for the first time in just over a year. He made only 2 appearances in the 08/09 season, before tendinitis problems forced him out. Now returning from the US, Hargreaves will be looking to join the rest of his team mates at Carrington and to find full fitness. United have missed a solid midfield enforcer and Hargreaves will be an invaluable addition to the squad – especially in Europe!
If all goes to plan we could see England’s favorite Canadian against CSKA Moscow on 3 November.
Let’s hope his knee problems are over for good, for United and England’s sake!
WHAT A DAY, WHAT A DERBY!
The Manchester derby just got hotter!
There was a lot of talk about yesterday’s match; who would win, who would play, who would score, who would get booked.
Man derbies haven’t always been classics but yesterday certainly was!
4-3 United. And what a finish! (Read here City fans moaning about the extra time.)
In summary: City played a bit better than United in the 1st half overall but the 2nd belonged to United.
United, with good, clever thinking went ahead after just a few minutes (the sign of a winning team).
Following some poor defending and a gift of a goal, City dominated the midfield and perhaps deserved the lead when Tevez got nothing but bar.
For me the real turning point of the match: Park off, Valencia on.
Mix that with Hughes pushing star man Ireland wide and United took control.
Cue more shocking defending and we were heading for a draw.
With minutes to go however, the man who would never have walked alone, found himself alone, in acres of space. Give Owen a ball in the box and it’s only going one place.
My heartbeat didn’t slow for at least an hour! The real winner? Football. (I think the commentator may have actually said that…)
